Petroleum aminosulphonic acid, and method of making same



I Patented ocezi, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE f METHOD OF MAKING S No Drawing. Original application April 6, 1938,

Divided and this ,appli'cation November 22, 1940, Serial No. 366,694

Serial No. 200,552.

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to the production of petroleum aminosulphonic acids which are of particular utility as dye intermediates in the preparation of azo dyes. is a division of our application Serial No, 200,552, filed April 6, 1938, entitled Petroleum nitrosulfonic acids, derivatives thereof, and method of making same.

One of the objects of this invention is the production of 'water-soluble petroleum aminosulphonic acids having an average molecular weight in excess of about 215 and consisting essentially of a carbocylic nucleus containing as substituents at least one amino group and one sulphonic acid group, and one or more side-chains having from 3 to 12 carbon atoms each. Such aminosulphonic acids are of particular utility in the This application preparation of diazonium compounds which may be coupled with phenolic compounds or amines in azo dyes and manufactured from commercially available sulphonic acids such as sulphanilic acid, :netanilic acid and the like.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the description which follows: i

In accordance with our invention a petroleum distillate having an initial boiling' point of at least 200 F. is treated with a sulphonating agent such as 98% sulphuric acid or fuming sulphuric acid under such conditions that a substantial portion of the distillate is converted into watersoluble sulphonic acids soluble in the acid sludge resulting from the treatment. The unsulphonated portion of the distillate is separated-from the acid sludge containing water-soluble sulphonic acids and such sludge is subjected to the action of a nitrating agent, for example, nitric acid or a mixture ofnitric and sulphuric acids,

whereby the petroleum sulphonic acids are con-,

.verted into nitrosulphonic acids likewise soluble in the sludge-nitration mixture. In order to recover the nitrosulphonic acids from the sludgenitration mixture, the latter'is intimately contacted with an organic solvent, for example, benzene or nitrobenzene which is capable of selectively extracting the nitrosulphonic acids without dissolving any substantial amount of spent nitration agent. acids in the organic solvent is then preferably washed with water to extract therefrom substantially all of the nitrosulphonic acids, The aque ous solution, containing nitrosulphonic acids substantially free of oil and/or sludge, may then be neutralized with an alkali, for example, sodium The solution ofnitrosulphonic hydroxide and the water evaporated therefrom to produce a mixture of crystalline sodium nitrosulphonates.

In lieu of evaporating the water from the aqueous solution above mentioned, the nitrosulderived from Venezuelan crude oil and having aboiling range of 250 F. to 360 F. was contacted with 184 parts by weight of 98% sulphuric acid for a period of /2 hour at a. temperature of F. to F. Unreacted oil was separated from the acid sludge resulting fromthis treatment, such sludge comprising spent acid, tar and water- .soluble sulphonic acids and amounting to about 225 parts by weight. This sludge, at a temperature of about 125 F. was treated with a mixture of 143 parts by weight of 70% nitric acid and 275 parts by weight of 93% sulphuric acid for a period of about 6 hours, whereby the watersoluble sulphonie acids contained in the sludge were converted to 'nitrosulphonic acids. The nitrated sludgewas then washed with 2400 parts by weight of nitrobenzene, whereby substantially all of the nitrosulphonic acids and a small amount of tar were extracted; The nitrobenzene solution was thereafter washed with water to extract therefrom the nitrosulphonic acids substantially having a molecular weight of 267." The sodium nitrosulphonates were thereafter reduced 1m; aqueous solution with 275 parts by weight of soe dium sulphide '(NazSBHzO) at a temperature of 122 F., and the solution neutralized wit "'sul.--= phuric acid to yield 80.6 parts by weight f so dium amino sulphonates (molecular weight 237); Upon diazotization of the aminosulphonate with sodium nitrite and hydrochloric acid, and'cou' pling of the diazonium compound with fl-naph'-- thol 36 parts by weight) in alkaline solution, there was produced a water-soluble red-orange, dye, which, upon being salted out of solution and I dried, amounted to 106 parts by weight.

2. A gas oil distillate derived from East Texas crude oil and having a boiling range of from about 400 F, to about 600 F. was sulfonated by treating with 98% sulphuric acid and the acid sludge containing water-soluble sulphonic acids was separated from unreacted oil. 201 parts by weight of this acid sludge was treated with 35 parts by weight of 70% nitric acid at a temperature of about 120 F. for a period of about,1 hour to convert the sulphonic acids of the sludge into nitrosulphonic acids. The nitrated sludge was then washed with about 800 parts by weight of nitrobenzene, whereby substantially all of the nitrosulphonic acids and a small amount of tar were extracted from the mixture. The nitrobenzene solution was thereafter washed with about 100 parts by weight of water to extract therefrom the nitrosulphonic acids substantially free of tar, and the aqueous solution was neutralized with sodium hydroxide and evaporated to dryness whereby there was obtained 32.4 parts by weight of sodium nitrosulphonates having a molecular weight of 365. The sodium nitrosulphonates were then reduced in aqueous solution with 97 parts by weight of sodium sulphide (Na2S.9H2O) at a temperature of about 125 F., and the solution neutralized with hydrochloric acid to yield 30 parts by weight of sodium aminosulphonates (molecular weight- 335). Upon diazotization of the aminosulphonates with nitrous acid produced by the reaction of sodium nitrite and hydrochloric acid, and coupling of the resultant diazonium compound with p-naphthol in alkaline solution, there was fraction extracted from an East Texas lubricating oil distillateby means of nitrobenzene, and having a Saybolt universal viscosity of 80 seconds at 210 F. and a boiling range of from about 474 F.'to about 700 F. at a pressure of 10 m. m.,

weight of sodium sulphide (Na2S.9H2O) at a temperature of about 122 F., and the solution neutralized with hydrochloric acid to yield 6.3 parts by weight of sodium aminosulphonates (molecular weight 513). Upon diazotization of the aminosulphonates with ntrous acid and coupling of the resultant diazonium compound with p-naphthol in alkaline solution, there was produced a water-soluble pink-red dye, which, upon being salted out of solution, amounted to 9.8 parts by'=weight.

While in the above examples, we have shown the production of dyes by coupling the sulphonated petroleum diazonium compounds with naphthol, 'we may also couple such diazonium compounds with other substances such as phenol, substituted phenols such as amino naphthol sulphonic acid, or amines such as diphenylamine, dimethylaniline and the like. In another aspect of our invention, our petroleum diazonium compounds may be coupled with petroleum phenols, for example, such as those derived by the fusion of -'water-soluble petroleum sulphonates with caustic soda, or phenols recovered from the caustic washing of cracked petroleum distillates. Phenols derived by the caustic fusion of petroleum sulphonic acids of the nature of those herein describedin connection with the production of nitrosulphonic and aminosulphonic acids are characterized in having structures comprising a carbocyclic nucleus containing at least one side-chain substituent of from 3 to 12 carbon atoms and a hydroxyl group.

The water-soluble aminosulphonic acids of our invention are characterized in having a molecular weight of at least 215 and comprise, in general, a carbocyclic nucleus having one or more side chains of from 3 to 12 carbon atoms, and at least one sulphonic acid group and one amino group as nuclear substituents.

Since the' water-soluble petroleum aminosulphonic acids are more readily marketed in the was diluted with'150 parts by weight of parafllnic petroleum naphtha and the mixture was'treated with 147 parts by weight of 98% sulphuric acid at a temperature of about 160 F. for about 1 hour. the acid sludge containing water-soluble sulphonic acids, and the sludge was washed with 575 parts by weight of nitrobenzene to extract the sulphonic acids. The nitrobenzene solutioncontaining the sulphonic acids was then washed with 187 parts by weight of water to dissolve therefrom the water-soluble sulphonic acids.

The aqueous solution was thereafter neutralized with sodium hydroxide and evaporated to dryness, whereby there was obtained-a yield of 32 parts by weight of dry sodium sulphonates. These sulphonates were then treated with a nitrating mixture comprising 290 parts by weight of 93% sulphuric acid and parts-by weight of 70% nitric acid at a temperature of about 32 F. for a period of about 1 hour. The resulting nitrosulphonic acids were extracted from the nitration reaction mixture. with ,nitrobenzene, and the nitrobenzene solution washed with water to extract therefrom the water-soluble nitrosulphonic acids. The resulting aqueous solution of nitrosulphonic acids was neutralized with sodium The unsulphonated oil was separated from form of their salts, and particularly in the form of their sodium, potassium or ammonium salts, it is to be understood that such saltsare equivalent to the free acids and are considered as within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A water-soluble petroleum carbocyclic aminisulphonic acid having at least one nuclear side chain substituent containing from 3 to 12 carbon atoms, said acid having a molecular weight of at least 215.

ing water -soluble sulphonic acids resulting from the sulphonation treatment. treating the acid sludge with a nitrating agent to nitrate the sul-' phonic acids contained in said sludge, extracting nitrosulphonic acids from the nitration mixture with an organic solvent capable of dissolving said nitrosulphonic acids'but incapable of dissolving substantial quantities of the nitration mixture,

hydroxide and evaporated to dryness and there extracting the nitrosulphonic acids from solution in the organic solvent with water, neutralizing the aqueous solution of acids with sodium hydroxide, and treating the sodium nitrosulphonates with a reducing agent to reduce said nitrosulphonates to aminosulphonates.

3. In the method of producing a petroleum aminosulphonic acid compound, the steps which comprise treating a petroleum distillate fraction having an initial boiling point of at least 200 F. with sulphuric acid to effect sulphonation of at 'least a portion of said distillate, separating un- 5 reacted distillate from the acid sludge containing water-soluble sulphonic acids resulting from the sulphonation treatment, treating the acid sludge with a nitrating agent to nitrate the sulphonic acids contained in said sludge, extracting nitro- 10 sulphonic acids from the nitration-mixture with nitrobenzene, extracting the nitrosulphonic acids 4 from solution in the nitrobenzene with water,

neutralizing the aqueous solution of acids with sodium hydroxide, and treating the sodium nitro- 15 suiphonates with a reducing agent to reduce said A nitros'ulphonates to aminosulphonatesn 1 4. The method of producing a petroleum carbocyclic' aminosulphonic acid compound comprising treating water-soluble petroleum carbocyclic nitrosulphonic acid compound having at least one nuclear side chain substituent containing from 3 to 12 carbon atoms, said, amid compound having a molecular weight of at least 245, 

